Passion of the Liquid Heart
by GirlWaterShaman
Summary: A series of oneshots based on my OT3: LucarioxMeriixSwampert. You won't understand unless you've read chapter 26 and onwards of I Am Someone I Am No One's Deceitful Wings. Ratings will vary.
1. Embraces

A/N: No, I don't own Pokemon. Otherwise I wouldn't be...ok, I probably would still write fanfic. ;

Dedication: This is for IAmSomeoneIAmNoOne.

Chapter One: Embraces

She wept in their arms.  
She had just told them everything.  
_Everything._  
All the pains, the cutting, the abandoment.  
She cried.  
She cried that she wasn't beautiful. That she wasn't worth anything. If she was, she reasoned, then why did her father leave her?  
The two just held their precious one close.  
It was not an embrace of passion or need.  
It was an embrace of comfort. An embrace of understanding.  
And above all...  
an embrace of _love_.


	2. Nicknames

A/N: This chapter is dedicated to IAmSomeoneIAmNoOne.

Chapter Two: Nicknames

"So…do you want a nickname?"

"Well….yes, I do."

"Ok then. Hmm…how about…Grengor the Wicked?"

"…You have to be joking. You _are_ joking, right?"

"Pfft! Of course"

"Oh thank God…"

"Hahaha…well….how about Swampy-kun?"

"No, that sounds like something you'd nickname a little Mudkip or something."

"What about Ofnook?"

"Now you're just watching that one cartoon show too much."

"Hehehe, maybe. Then…how about Jayden?"

"…that sounds good."


	3. Memories

A/N: This chapter is dedicated to Glory For Sleep.

Chapter Three: Memories

Three memories in particular bound them together.

_"Don't ever let go of my hand."  
"Why would we?" _

The first was when she admitted her feelings towards the two of them.

_"I wanted to say…that…I really-I love you both. I love you both…so much." _

The second was when they expressed how they felt towards her in the most sacred way.

_"Can we…see you? All of you?"  
"Y-yes. But please…be gentle, ok?"  
"We always will."_

And the third was when they decided to tell their precious friends.

_"My two Pokèmon; my Lucario and my Swampert…they…"  
"We love Lady Merii."  
"And she loves us."  
"Well, you guys are sure braver than I am!"_


	4. Collages

A/N: This chapter is dedicated to Silverumbra…because her fics are awesome. Oh, and if someone could draw a picture of Merii, Lucario and Swampert together, that'd be really nice…XD  
The idea behind this chapter is that Merii has a low self-esteem from her father having left her, and thus doesn't take very well to criticism. However, the reaction can be either frantic or worried, as seen in this chapter, or the reaction could be quite…louder. And involve broken objects.

Chapter Four: Collages

"So…what do you think?"  
The Pokemon trainer stood next to her piece of work and looked shyly at her two companions. Said Swampert and Lucario stared at the piece of cardboard with blank faces.  
"Well?"  
"…What does the title mean?"  
"Well…I thought that…well, Aura obviously is Lucario…you're Blue…and…I'm…Passion?"  
Jayden and Lucario exchanged a look and grinned. The last part they knew about _personally_. They both walked over to the girl, delighting how Merii was beginning to blush. Both thought that it was adorable.  
"Do…do you guys like it?"  
She started to feel a bit frantic.  
"Oh my goodness, you don't like it. I knew that doing a collage about the three of us was a bad idea…oh, I'm sorry! Did I somehow hurt your feelings by making one?! Please tell me what I did to offend you two…"  
Lucario raised an eyebrow while Jayden was shaking his head. They truly loved the young woman standing in front of them, but sometimes she needed to calm down when it concerned them.  
Merii's ramble was interrupted by a sudden pressure on her shoulder. She looked up, brown eyes slightly panicked.  
Jayden smiled gently at her and motioned for Lucario to join them.  
"We love it…it's beautiful."  
"R-really?"  
"Yes. You are a fine artist, Lady Merii."  
A smile steadily spread across the girl's face.  
"Thank you."


	5. Nights

A/N: I hope you guys like this one…:P

Dedication: This chapter is dedicated to Vycksta, because of that one-shot she did involving Darkrai and Dawn…

Chapter Five: Nights

Jayden liked to sleep next to Merii during the night. He'd have one flipper around her and Lucario would have an arm around her. And she'd have her arms hooked around them both.

He'd stare up at the stars a lot. Wondering about where they were going…where'd they end up…but mostly, he wondered about her. He wondered why she stuck by them even though they held deep feelings towards her. Such things were forbidden in their modern society. He wondered how she had enough room in her heart for both of them. Usually one doesn't hear about a girl in love with more than one person at a time…even if that person is a Pokemon.

Jayden knew that Lucario stared up at the stars often too. But he had a feeling that the jackal-headed Pokemon thought about other things besides Merii and philosophy. Probably a lot of thoughts about aura and…oh, who was he kidding? Lucario was just as much in love with Merii as he was. There were several nights where the two would talk about the human girl between them. Sometimes the talks would go on for hours. Rare was the time when it'd wake Merii up though.

In a way they enjoyed that. Their 'guy bonding time' would be over if she did. However, the two Pokemon wanted many times for Merii to wake. Many of the words they shared were about her. And they wanted to always express to the woman how much they loved her.

Naturally, this was the reason why even though they'd wake up at around 8 in the morning, they wouldn't actually get out of the tent until noon.


	6. Fights

A/N: This takes place relatively early in Merii's travels with her crew. As in, before Jayden and Lucario learn how to share Merii…yeah. Have fun.

Dedication: This chapter is dedicated to Goldeneye101…yeah. Here's your fight scene! :P

Chapter Six: Fights

Steady golden eyes stared down at fierce ruby eyes. The Lucario and Swampert were glaring furiously at each other in the area near their tent. That evening, both had attempted to get their trainer Merii alone for some "personal" time. Of course, that was when both had noticed the other was trying to invade _their_ territory.

"Were you trying to have relations with Lady Merii?"  
Jayden glowered at Lucario, his body beginning to tense up.  
"By 'having relations' with her, you mean showing her how much I love her, then yes."  
Lucario's eyes widened briefly before settling back into their intense gaze.  
"Why would she do anything of the sort with you?"  
Jayden scoffed a bit.  
"Because," he responded with a slight smirk on his face, "She's let me do it before."  
Jayden blinked-and he was on the ground, rubbing his jaw with one fin.

"How dare you touch Lady Merii like that?"  
"Well, why do you even care?"  
That single question made Lucario go silent. In fact, that seemed to stop the conversation all together for quite a bit.  
"Well? Are you going to answer me or not?"  
Breaking out of his stunned stupor, the jackal-headed Pokémon resumed glaring at the Swampert in front of him.  
"I don't even want to dignify that with a response. Frankly, it's none of your business how I relate to Lady Merii."  
Jayden stood up, brushing some dirt off of his legs.  
"Well, maybe I want to _make_ it my business."  
A smile brushed across Lucario's snout before fading.

"Then do you want to fight for Lady Merii's affections?"  
Jayden grinned.  
"I'd thought you'd take forever to ask."  
Instantly, they both dropped into a fighting stance. Jayden began by opening his mouth and shooting a Water Gun at the jackal-headed Pokémon, who leapt out of the way and countered this with a Quick Attack. Wincing a bit at this, Jayden began stomping the ground; the beginnings of an Earthquake. Lucario stumbled and fell over cringing, making Jayden laugh at him.  
Of course, the laughter was cut off when Lucario used Metal Claw to slice across the Swampert's abdomen, leaving three bright red lines.  
"OW! DAMN IT! That hurt you stupid dog!"  
"Oh, so you want to insult me while you're at it! Well, then if I'm a stupid dog, then you're an ugly mudpuppy!"  
"….what the hell is a mudpuppy?"  
"I don't know! But that's what you are!"  
"Oh that's it!"

Jayden ran to Lucario and smacked him upside the head with one large fin, making the said dog Pokémon cry out.  
Lucario was about to retaliate before being knocked over by a Hydro Pump. Soaked to the skin, he glared angrily at the smug Swampert.  
"Looks like I win."

The jackal-headed Pokémon was silent. Then just when Jayden began to let his guard down, he was knocked over from a sweeping Low Kick. Before Jayden knew it, the Lucario was straddling him, punching him furiously. The Swampert protected his face with his fins. He waited for a pause in the punches and when that pause came, he pushed Lucario off of him.  
Standing back up, Jayden said nothing else but simply beckoned the jackal-headed Pokémon forward. Lucario rushed towards Jayden, a bright blue glow emanating from his cupped paws. Jayden reared his head back again, preparing for another Hydro Pump. They were about to release their attacks, when…

"STOP IT! STOP THIS RIGHT NOW!"  
The two Pokémon immediately ceased the charging of energy for their attacks and turned towards the source. They were both surprised to see their trainer, Merii stomping angrily towards them. In her fury, she slapped the two across their faces, earning looks of hurt in return.  
"Don't give me that face! What are you two doing?! Do you guys want to get seriously hurt or worse, die?! What's wrong with you guys?!"  
Lucario and Jayden exchanged a glance. They were in trouble.

"This has to stop."  
Merii sat in front of Lucario and Jayden in a room at the local Pokémon Center, a serious look on her usually cheerful face. Said Pokémon were both staring at the ground, feeling quite ashamed. The Lucario shut his eyes, embarrassed at his shameful actions. Jayden was playing with his fins which were whenever he got nervous; that wasn't often though.

"Merii, I-"  
Said girl just held up a hand, making Jayden fall silent.  
"No. I know why you guys were fighting," Merii sighed, a slight blush coming across all of their faces as she said this, "And even though it is slightly flattering, I don't want to end up with two _dead_ Pokémon on my hands."

Jayden and Lucario looked up at this with surprised looks on their faces.  
"Yes, dead. The nurse told me that if you guys kept going like that, one of you, if not both could've been seriously hurt or dead. Not necessarily from the physical injuries, but from the stress. She told me that there was a lot of mental strife coming from you two and was able to tell simply from how you looked at each other when we came in. That isn't healthy, for humans or for Pokemon.

"If you want to fight like this, then fine. But don't expect me to stay with either of you if you guys choose that path. I will not be held responsible for losing my Pokemon…," at this Merii looked down at the floor, a blush coming across her face "Even if I'm in love with them both."

Lucario and Jayden both stared at their trainer in shock. They had never seen this side of her before. Sure, she was a bit tough when she trained them, but not like this. This Merii was willing to give them up in order for all of them to stay safe…even if her happiness would suffer for it. Silently, the two males exchanged a look. Simply nodding at each other, they agreed that they would have to share Merii in order to make this work.

Jayden and Lucario stood up and sat on the bed next to Merii, one on either side. Feeling the bed go down, the young woman looked up. She saw both Lucario and Jayden looking at her with apologetic faces.

"I apologize…to _both_ of you."  
Merii and Jayden looked at Lucario, the former with a small grin on her face and the latter with a look of shock at the 'high and mighty' Lucario willingly showing his weakness.  
"I accept your apology, Lucario."  
Merii turned to Jayden, and Lucario did the same.  
Jayden shuffled his fins a little bit before staring up at them.  
"I'm sorry, Merii…and…I'm sorry Lucario."  
Ignoring the fact that it seemed like it took Jayden all he had to let out the last three words, Lucario grinned and held out his paw. A smile grew on Jayden's face and he slapped it with his fin.  
Merii stood, grinning happily.  
"Well, if you silly boys wish to join me in the Center's cafeteria for some food, you can come on. Or if you guys want to fight…," she looked at them with a playful glint in her eyes.  
"We'll come with you!"  
Suppressing a laugh, Merii walked to the cafeteria, Lucario and Jayden by her side.

End Note: Agh…Much longer then I thought it would be…but I'm happy with it. I guess. Anyway, review and tell me what you thought!  
--thinks the action scene could've been better though...


	7. Umbrellas

Dedication: This one is for Shiny Hunter, since they gave me an idea for the plot of this one…even though they just said to make it full of angst…;

Chapter Seven: Umbrellas

_Drip._

Merii stared gloomily up at the cloudy sky above her. Normally she wouldn't mind the rain, since "the plants got what they needed". However, this day was different. And they all knew it. She stood up from the wooden porch of the local dojo and leaned up against a strong beam, sighing a little. This time of year…this day always depressed her. That never failed to stay the same, no matter how they matured each year.

_Drip._

From his position in the mud puddle, Jayden was still able to see the look of pain on his love's face from several hundred feet away. The Swampert looked down at his bright orange fins, half covered in mud. In a way, this was partly his fault. He and Lucario were both to blame. If they stayed silent about their feelings…then Merii wouldn't be in this situation. He furrowed his brow, feeling angrier at himself more than ever for causing the young woman sorrow.

_Drip._

Lucario tensed his paws and scratched furiously at a thick oak tree, the slashes making a sharp contrast against the dark wood. Not caring if the chips hit Jayden who was nearby, he clawed at the tree irritably. A low growl escaped him, and the jackal-headed Pokèmon started. Shaking his head, Lucario tried to get his emotions under control. Why did he do it? What possessed him and Jayden to do what they did? Now they knew…it was stupid to act like Merii was _theirs_ in public…even though they knew how others would act. That was why they were thrown out of the local Contest hall, stares and whispers following them.

_Drip._

Eventually, Merii walked over to both of her Pokèmon, holding a light blue umbrella under her arm. Jayden looked up at her from the mud puddle he was in. Lucario stared up at her from his spot at the trunk of the large oak. Smiling sadly, she held out her hand to both of them. They returned the same sad smile. Both took her hand. And stood.

_Drip._

It hurt them. It truly did. But they wished that they wouldn't be hated simply for what they were. The three knew. They knew that even though society despised what they felt, even though they were treated differently because of it…they had to keep going. They couldn't give up hope.

_Drip._

If they gave up hope, then there wouldn't be any point to living, now would there? Merii stood in between Lucario and Jayden on the porch, her arms around them, and vice versa. Lucario gave her a reassuring nuzzle, and Jayden kissed the top of her head. They wouldn't give up. That much, they knew.

_The rain stopped._


	8. Games

Dedication: This one is dedicated to IAmSomeoneIAmNoOne because she wanted to see a flashback chapter…

A/N: Lucario now has a nickname! It is Luke!  
ignores all the Luke-Force-aura jokes

Also, this is a sort-of-AU with my characters, since Merii technically gets Luke when Jayden is already a Marshtomp…but whatever. Someone wanted this so I'm writing it for her.

Disclaimer: I don't own the Wii….well, I HAVE a Nintendo Wii at my house, but I don't own the company that makes it.

Chapter Eight: Games

"Merii! Let's play with the Wii!"

"Okay!"  
Said trainer picked up her adorable little Mudkip Jayden, and walked towards her family's living room, Luke the Riolu running at her heels. Even though he was still a young Riolu, Luke was already quite fast. Merii knew that this would end up being quite the advantage when they'd start entering Gym battles in the future.

Merii sat down in front of the television and began to set up the gaming system. Jayden and Luke started looking over the games that they could play. Eventually, they chose three games: Wii Sports, Super Smash Brothers Brawl, and Red Steel-the last game being a recent gift from Merii's friend Goruden. She hadn't even opened the game yet.

First they played Wii Sports. The game in particular that they chose: golf. Merii usually enjoyed playing the bowling game, but after an incident with Jayden and replacing a window, the young woman decided that the strap on the controller wasn't always made for Pokemon arms.

After playing golf-Luke ended up winning since he seemed to understand the scoring best-they decided to pop in Brawl. To Merii's delight, Luke decided to play as Lucario. Jayden, to her surprise, decided to play as Link. Then again, Merii knew that Jayden enjoyed the Zelda games in general, and knew that it really wasn't too much of a shock. The Trainer herself decided to play as Marth.

Jayden won.

Merii didn't really feel like playing Red Steel at the moment, but she opened the package for her Pokemon and set it up for them. Then she just decided to watch the two play the game.

It was adorable. And hilarious, since it was a fighting game not unlike the James Bond franchise…and they were still pretty much children compared to most Pokemon. Although a part of Merii wondered if it was alright for them to be playing a shooting game…


	9. Kisses

A/N: I decided to move "Sundays" down a bit. I just can't seem to get much inspiration for it today…so I moved "Kisses" up a bit because I had pretty much written all of it.

Dedication: This is for Felix the Eeveetrainer.

Chapter Nine: Kisses

When They Kissed Her…

The first time they kissed her was when they were still not truly aware of their feelings for her.

"_I love being your Pokemon, Merii!"  
_

"_Lady Merii…you're amazing!"_

The second time they kissed her was when they realized the depth of their feelings for her.

"_Merii…I love you."_

_"Lady Merii…You have become my most precious person."_

The third time they kissed her was when she regained her sanity.

"_Merii! Are you okay?!"_

_"Lady Merii! Are you with us again?!"_

The fourth time they kissed her was when they were reunited after their adventures with Vespera.

"_Merii!"_

_"Lady Merii! I missed you!"_

Where They Kissed Her…

The first place they kissed her was on her lips.

"_We do love you…"  
"I…I love you guys too."_

The second place they kissed her was on her breasts.

_"What…are you guys making me feel?"  
"Does it feel good?"  
"Y-yes…"  
"Do you love us?"  
"Yes…"  
"Then does it matter?"  
_  
The third place they kissed her was in her most sacred place.

"_A-ahh! W-what are you…doing to me?!"  
"We…are showing you…how much we love you."_

The last place they kissed her was on her forehead.

_"W-wow…that was…wow."  
"We're glad you liked it."_


	10. Confessions

Dedication: This is for Katsu Koneko for being such a good friend.

A/N: Yes, that red-headed boy Silver from the 2nd generation of Pokemon games is in my fics. Why? 'Cause he's one of my favorite canon characters.

Chapter Ten: Confessions

Merii looked down at the ground. Sure, their group had accepted her, Jayden and Luke's relationship so far. But Silver was still relatively new to their gang, and Merii wondered what he would do. Would he feel revolted? Would he decide to leave them? Even though they had known Silver for several months, Merii knew that just hanging out with a person didn't guarantee that you knew them. She learned that from painful experience.

"My two Pokemon; my Lucario and my Swampert...they..."

Luke stepped up and put a paw on the young woman's shoulder.

"We love Lady Merii."

Jayden stood on Merii's other side and put his fin on her other shoulder.

"And she loves us."

There was a beat of silence.

"Well, you guys are sure braver than I am!"

Bringing a small chuckle to all of them, Merii turned back to Silver, half-dreading his reaction. The said red-headed young man was looking at them now with a narrowed gaze. However, Merii was relieved to see that Silver simply seemed to be thinking. He didn't look angry or disgusted. Just thinking. And Merii knew that was a good sign.

"Well," Silver began, "My jerk dad definitely wouldn't be okay with this...society isn't okay with this...but I really don't mind."

Merii's face brightened.

"You don't?"

"Nope. As long as you're happy. It doesn't matter if you fell in love with your Pokemon. I've seen people fall for worse in their own species. I can see that Jayden and Luke clearly care deeply for you."

A strong feeling of respite went through Merii.

"Besides, Mei told me about you three months ago."

"SHE DID _WHAT_?!"


	11. Kitchens

Dedication: This is dedicated to Goldeneye101 since he gave me the idea for this in the first place.

Notice: Luke, Merii, Jayden and Suicune now have their own blogs on LiveJournal! Luke's username is knightofaura, Merii's is dreaminglights, Jayden's is iamnotamudpuppy, and Suicune's username is northernheart! Check them out!

Chapter Eleven: Kitchens

"Ah-choo!"  
Merii sneezed into her cupped hands as Jayden and Luke looked at her with pitying gazes. Even though the girl was sick, both Jayden and Luke decided that they would stay by her side constantly until she got better.

'Why must Merii being sick affect me too?!'

Even though Suicune was in Merii's body at the moment, they all heard what she said. They all sweatdropped.

"Maybe I should let Suicune out….we might get better sooner that way."  
Standing up, Merii drew out a pulsing blue light which transformed into the also-feeling-ill Suicune.

"I'm going to stay in my original form for this," the Legend said. "I get better faster when I'm like this…"  
Merii nodded and got back into her bed.

Spotting Luke and Jayden's worried expressions, Merii's gaze softened.

"You know guys," the human said through sniffles, "Maybe I'd get better faster if you guys helped me out…"  
Luke cocked his head to the side.

"How could we help, Lady Merii?"  
Smiling at the honorific that her Lucario always addressed her with, Merii took his paw in her hand and did the same with her Swampert's fin.

"I don't know…help tidy up the house...make me some food…something like that. So I won't have to worry about doing that stuff once I get better."  
Undaunted by this request, the two Pokemon only nodded and assured their Trainer that they would do these things. However, this was not their reaction when Merii began to doze off. At the daunting prospect of having to take care of Merii while she was sick, Jayden and Luke exchanged looks.

"….We are doomed."  
Luke only nodded.

"Yes…we are."

After a few minutes of standing there feeling confused about what to do next, the Swampert and Lucario immediately confronted the Legend.

"We're GUYS! We don't know how to cook...and...do...nurturing stuff..."

Luke nodded.

"I have to concur with Jayden..."

Now outside of Merii's body in her original form, Suicune bared her teeth.

"Well, TOO BAD!"

Jayden and Luke started, staring at the Legendary Pokemon in fear.

Suicune sighed, and calmed down a bit before speaking.

"Think of it this way...the sooner Merii gets better, the sooner you can...," here the North Wind stopped and whispered in the Lucario and the Swampert's ears.

Said two Pokemon only blushed. The two found ample motivation in this and immediately rushed down the stairs, heading towards the kitchen sink, under which the cleaning supplies were kept.

About an hour later, after a strange, seemingly possessed vacuum cleaner incident, Luke and Jayden managed to clean up the den. Then they faced the kitchen. Both knew that their love would be waking up soon, and they knew that she would probably be hungry.

Jayden turned to the Lucario.

"What do humans eat when they get sick?"  
The Lucario folded his arms and thought for a moment.  
"Well, on those television programs the sick humans often end up eating soup."  
"Oh. Well, soup shouldn't be so hard to make."

Jayden walked over to the cabinets where the canned food was kept and opened it. Grabbing a chicken noodle soup can from the cupboard; he walked over to the microwave.

"Now how to do this…."  
As Luke fumbled to get a bowl from the cabinet, Jayden puzzled over the label.

"Crap. I don't know how to read…oh well!"  
The Swampert simply shrugged and opened the microwave, putting the can inside.

"Now how to heat it up…hmm…"  
He scratched his chin with his fin, and then just pushed a bunch of random buttons. Jayden turned the little knob, deciding that five minutes was a decent time for the food to cook.

Pressing the big start button, Jayden sat down and watched the can slowly spin around in the microwave.

Luke soon joined him and both began to watch. After about two minutes however, Luke furrowed his brow.

"Is the can supposed to be moving like that?"

The soup can was pulsing and turning a bright red.

"I dunno."

The Lucario shrugged and they kept watching.

However, when the can caught on fire, ruby and golden eyes widened and they both stood up quickly.

"WHAT DID YOU DO?!"  
"I-I don't know! I just put the can in and turned the nozzle to five minutes!"  
"Idiot! That's too long obviously!"  
"Well how the hell was I supposed to know that?! I can't read!"  
Immediately the Lucario slapped Jayden, noticing that the mud fish Pokemon was beginning to panic.

"Calm down! We can fix this!"  
Of course, this was said before the can blew up, spraying the entire insides of the microwave with burnt chicken noodle soup.

Seeing the mess created by their good intentions, the two males could only stare in shock.

"Oh….oh dear Arceus…"  
"Lady Merii is going to kill us…"  
"Even though she loves us?"  
Luke only nodded.

Jayden looked from the Lucario to the mess and then back to Luke again.

"Yeah…."

Then they heard footsteps upstairs. Jayden cursed and pushed the Lucario towards the stairway, then began to frantically push at random buttons on the microwave. Luke quickly ran up the stairs and breathed a sigh of relief to see that Merii was only headed to the bathroom. However, when he turned around to see the suspicious eyes of Suicune, he yelped.

"Ahh! You scared me!"  
"What did you two do?"  
"Oh…we…we didn't do anything!"  
However, this brief interaction was halted by the sound of Jayden.  
"Luke? Is it normal for human food to be crawling across the floor?"  
The Lucario sweatdropped and laughed nervously, turning to Suicune.

"Um…yeah…about that…"  
"Shut up and take me downstairs."  
So he did.

And Suicune was shocked at what she saw.

Jayden was on top of the kitchen counter with a large spatula in his fins. How he was able to have a solid grip on the object was a complete mystery to Suicune. The said Swampert was swatting at a strange yellow and orange mass that had noodles sticking out of it. The strange creature was on the floor…._growling_ at him?  
"Now, that's just disturbing."

Luke only nodded. Suicune sighed and walked over to the…thing and gave it a sharp swat on the top of its head, if you could call it that. It growled at the Legend, but she wasn't going to take that type of attitude.

"No! Bad…uh, Noodles! Bad Noodles! Stay!"  
The thing-I mean, Noodles-whimpered and seemed to compress itself.

"Good, uh…," Suicune looked at it closer, "Good boy!"  
Luke and Jayden just stared at this strange interaction.

Suicune turned to the two, obviously about to say something, when her ruby eyes widened.

"Merii! You're up early…"  
The two males turned to see their Trainer; her jaw dropped and eyes staring blankly at Noodles.

"What…is _that_?"  
Pure silence answered her.  
"Seriously, what is it?"  
"It's, uh…," Jayden began, "A…uh…"  
He turned to Luke.  
"What exactly is it?"  
Luke shrugged.

"His name is Noodles."  
They blinked at Suicune.

Merii sighed deeply.  
"Thankfully, my fever is gone…just…just don't release…Noodles into the wild. It would traumatize way too many people."  
Suicune, Jayden and Luke nodded.

Frankly, they were traumatized from it enough.

A/N: What did the gang do with Noodles? I frankly haven't decided yet. Hmm…I guess they keep him. He'll probably make a few appearances in later chapters.


	12. Meetings

Dedication: This is dedicated to Felix the Eeveetrainer, for loving my characters so much. Here's some angst for you! Sorry it's so short though…

Chapter Twelve: Meetings

Jayden first met Merii on her 13th birthday, when a relative gave him to the teen as a gift. He was her first Pokemon that she got to hand raise on her own; as in without her mother. He was mostly meant to be a comfort to the teen after her mother's then-recent death. Still a young Mudkip at the time, Jayden remembered being let out of his Pokeball only to see an astonished Merii staring down at him. The first thing he noticed was her warm, yet sad brown eyes. But then he heard the most magical sound: her laughter. And that was when he fell for his trainer.

They first met Luke in a muddy ditch outside of Pastoria City when setting up camp for the night. The Riolu had been dumped there by a negligent, lazy trainer who was too impatient for him to evolve. Near death, Luke-who was called Adam at the time-was rushed to the Pastoria Pokemon Center. Of course, Jayden, who was a Marshtomp by this point, felt a bond with Luke. So naturally he took the wounded Riolu under his fin. It was obvious that they'd end up best friends.

When Luke first awoke in the Pokemon Center, he thought he was in heaven-an angel seemed to be looking down at him. But then his vision cleared, and he saw Merii's face for the first time. Then and there he knew that he had found the one for him, even though he wouldn't realize it fully until he evolved.

Merii didn't know exactly when she fell for her two Pokemon. But when she realized that she was in love with Jayden and Luke, she knew that she would never, ever leave them behind.


	13. Lotteries

Dedication: This is dedicated to Goldeneye101, since he gave me the idea.

A/N: As you'll be able to tell when you read this chapter, Jayden is a gamer.

Chapter Thirteen: Lotteries

It was a nice, sunny day in Veilstone City. There was a slight breeze in the air as Merii, Jayden and Luke walked down the street from the local Pokemon Center. Merii was in quite a good mood at the moment, having just had a long chat with Mei, her best friend from Verdanturf.

While the three strolled down the road, a brief wind blew a small piece of paper into the trio's path. Curious, Merii picked it up as Jayden and Luke peered at it over her shoulders.  
"What is it, Lady Merii?"  
Merii blinked.

"It's an unredeemed lottery ticket."

Jayden beamed.  
"Really?! How much is it for?"  
Looking at it closer, Merii counted the zeroes on the ticket. Then she counted them again.

"No-no way…"  
"What is it? How much is it?"  
"One…million…dollars."  
Silence.

"What."  
It wasn't even a question.

"T-that's what it says. Right here…'redeemable for one million dollars'."

The three stared at the lottery ticket, then at each other.

"To the store!"

Merii, Jayden and Luke promptly turned around and began to walk in the other direction, towards the small stationary store where the ticket was brought.

"So Jayden, what will you do with your share of the money?"  
The Swampert sighed happily, putting his fins behind his head  
"Lessee…well, first I'll get a nice entertainment system. It'll have a flat screen plasma television, good speakers, and a sweet massage chair that'll support me. I'll buy a ton of DVDs that'll consist mostly of Comedy Central shows, as well as a few seasons of Jerry Springer, since I like when they throw chairs at each other. Also, I'll get the entire next generation of video game systems.

"Then, I'll buy a new stereo that can hold as many CDs as possible. I'll also buy a new computer for myself too. Maybe a new iMac. And I'll put a ton of games on it. Like World of Warcraft, Halo 3, The Sims, and City of Heroes to start. Then for the rest of the money, I'll decide later."

Merii grinned at Jayden, while Luke sighed.

"You and your electronics."

"Well, what would_ you_ buy, then?"

"Hmm…."  
The Lucario put a paw on his chin, thinking carefully.

"Even though it isn't good to delight in material things," he murmured as Jayden rolled his eyes, "There are a few things that I could use…"  
"Like what?"  
"Well, I'll get a brand new meditation mat. Also, I'll purchase some new books that just came out…"  
Jayden sighed.

"That's all nice, but come on. You'll be getting over 300,000 dollars, man! Go all out with it!"  
Luke gave Jayden a playful glare.

"Well, if you insist," the Lucario began to smile, "Then I'll also buy some earplugs to drown out your abysmal snoring."  
"What?! I do not snore!"  
"Yes, you do."  
The Swampert turned to Merii.  
"Do I snore?"

"Um, well…"  
"Great. Now even the girl I love is against me. Thanks a lot, Luke."

"You're welcome."  
Ignoring the raspberry that Jayden blew at him, Luke continued.

"I think that I'll also get some DVDs."  
Both Merii and Jayden looked at Luke in surprise. The Lucario usually didn't care for television.  
"DVDs of what?"  
Luke smiled.

"All of Akira Kurosawa's films, the original Star Wars films-cause the newer ones aren't very good at all-as well as Bruce Lee's movies, and Kill Bill 1 & 2. I'll also buy the entire first and second seasons of Ninja Warrior on DVD. I'll also get a laptop as well, so I can watch the movies. You guys can help me choose a decent one. The rest of the money…I'd probably put in a bank for safe keeping."

Then Luke and Jayden turned to the young woman that loved them.

"What would you buy?"

Merii flushed.

"Me?"

Luke nodded.

"We told you what we'll buy with our share, Lady Merii. Thus, we want to know what you'll get."  
Said Trainer just looked down and pondered this for a moment.

"What I'll use my share for…I think that I'll spend some towards the first two seasons of Meerkat Manor on DVD…the Planet Earth series, the DVDs of Taboo from the National Geographic channel…maybe a new bicycle…um….what else…"  
Merii pursed her lips and thought on what she would do with the rest of all that money.  
"The rest…I'll just give to you two."  
Jayden and Luke looked at Merii in surprise, who simply smiled at them.

"I don't really need much. Sure, there are a lot of things that I want, but I can wait. I don't mind. As long as you two are with me, I'm pretty much content."  
The Lucario and the Swampert were looking back at the human with pure love in their eyes.

"Thank you, Lady Merii."  
"Yeah…thanks."

She gave the two a brief hug, before they turned the corner. All of them feeling a bit closer than before, Merii went to the door of the stationary store and opened it. The vendor was a middle aged man who was reading the newest issue of the Veilstone Times.

"Excuse me?"  
Merii went up to the counter, where the man lowered his paper and smiled kindly at her.

"What can I help you with, kid?"

Merii handed the ticket to the man, and he put on a pair of glasses that were in his front pocket, examining the ticket closely.  
"Um, you see, my Pokemon and I found this on the street, and we were wondering if we could redeem it…"

"Hmm…," he held up the little piece of paper up to the light. "I'm sorry to tell you, kid…"  
"What is it?"  
"This ticket," he said, handing it back to Merii, "Is a fake. Sorry."

Merii, Jayden and Luke seemed to visibly deflate.

"Hey, I'm sorry kid…it's really convincing though, I know. But I've been selling lotto tickets for over 20 years, and I know a fake when I see it."  
"I see…thank you, sir…have a good day…"

Feeling sorry for the girl and her Pokemon, the vendor got from behind the counter.

"Hey, kid!"  
The three turned, curious as to what the man wanted.

"Listen. Obviously I can't give you a million bucks…I'd be fired on the spot. But…," the man went behind the counter again and pulled out a small box and took from it a round package. Then he took a piece of paper and wrote a note on it before handing Merii the package and the folded note. "I can still give you this. But don't open it until you are alone, okay?"

Seeing their confused faces, he laughed sheepishly.

"It's nothing bad or anything. But if other trainers saw it…well, there'd be a lot of trouble for me. Oh, and read the note before you open it."

"Thank you…"  
The man patted Merii on her head.

"You're welcome, kid."

Then he turned to Jayden and Luke.

"You two…take care of her, okay? She's something special."  
Surprised and blushing furiously, they could only nod blankly.

Silently, the trio left the store, still musing over the older man's words. Once they reached their room in the Veilstone Pokemon center, Merii took out the small package. There was a long silence, and then Merii opened the note that the store clerk had written and began to read it aloud.

"'I used to be a Pokemon Master when I was younger, and I was given this by the Champion of the time as a gift. However, I never did use it. But I can see something special in you. It's in your eyes. 'Course, haven't seen it in anyone since that I was young….well, except for that boy and his Pikachu that passed through a few months ago. But he refused it. Wanted to catch Pokemon the old fashioned way. So I'll give it to you.'"

The girl slowly peeled the paper back, and her eyes widened.  
"A-a _Master Ball_," she whispered in awe, as Luke and Jayden stared at the object in shock. A new silence filled the room.

"That man…was_ cool_…"

"He truly is a man of exemplary character."  
Merii nodded.

"Yeah…"  
They sat like this for a while, thinking. Until…

"Do I really _snore_?"  
"Oh, give it a rest already!"


	14. Websites

Notice: Luke, Merii and Jayden now have their own blogs on LiveJournal! Jayden's is iamnotamudpuppy, Luke's is knightofaura, and Merii's is dreaminglights! Check them out!

Dedication: This is for Guard of the Twilight for always giving me such great chapter ideas.

Chapter Fourteen: Websites

Luke looked up from his meditating to the sound of hysterical laughter over where Merii was sitting. Jayden blinked as he paused the game on the PSP in his fins as he glanced over where Merii was. The girl was hunched over her laptop, giggling with mirth. Getting up, Luke walked over to his Trainer and squatted down.  
"What's so funny, Lady Merii?"  
Jayden lumbered over, curious as well.

"Yeah, what is it?"  
Still laughing, Merii paused the video that she was apparently watching and began to talk to her two lovers, still looking at the screen.

"I was watching this series of videos on YouTube, called 'Is It a Good Idea to Microwave This?'. Very, very funny."  
Jayden cocked his head.

"Oh, I heard of them. Don't they microwave, like a bunch of random things to see if they explode?"  
Giggling, Merii nodded.

"Pretty much, yeah."  
Luke rolled his eyes.

"It sounds stupid."  
Turning to the Lucario, Merii grinned.

"Maybe, but I still think it's very funny. Anyway, I don't think YouTube is a good site for you. There are a lot of videos on here that you would think are stupid."  
Jayden laughed.

"Yeah…here, I'll show you one of _my_ favorite websites."

The Swampert nudged Merii gently to the side and began typing, much to Luke and Merii's astonishment. How was he able to type using just his fins?

"Here it is. Facebook."  
Immediately, Merii burst out laughing.

"What?! I love Facebook."  
"Y-yeah…it's just that…I never pegged you as the Facebook type…"

Luke cocked his head.

"What exactly is Facebook?"  
"It's a socializing network where people-and now Pokemon-can keep in touch with people that they know. It's a lot of fun."

"I see…"

Jayden closed the window and moved so that Luke could type.

"I know that you aren't into technology that much. But even you must have a favorite website or two…"

Thinking with his arms crossed, Luke paused for a moment.

"Alright. Even I have a couple that I enjoy going to…"

Slowly typing the first address with his paws, Luke loaded up the webpage for the Usagi Yojimbo comic book series. Jayden and Merii stared at him.  
"What? It's a graphic novel series that I enjoy reading."  
The two of them snickered.

"Hey, I don't make fun of what you two-well, I don't make fun of what Lady Merii looks at, so don't do it to me!"

Still laughing a bit, Merii motioned for Luke to show them the next website that he liked. Sighing in exasperation, the Lucario typed in the next address.

"Giant in the Playground?"  
Luke nodded, beginning to browse the site.

"It has an online comic book created by a human that is based in a fantasy world. Of course, there is some immature humor, but the man has given it a decent plot and has well-brought-up characters."  
"………..They're stick figures."  
Luke turned to Jayden, eyes narrowed.

"It forces you to use your imagination, you imbecile!"  
"Whatever."

Luke continued to browse the Internet, when he accidentally clicked on a Merii's history.

"Lady Merii? What does this link go to?"  
Putting down her sketchpad, the girl went back over to her laptop, looked over her Lucario's shoulder…and blushed furiously.  
"Oh, uh, nowhere important…just…nowhere! It's a link to nothing!"  
Skeptical ruby eyes met hers.  
"Lady Merii…it's not right to lie."

The Lucario and the human began to argue with each other.

Intrigued by now, Jayden walked back over to the duo and looked at the computer screen. He clicked on the link while Merii and Luke were debating on honesty vs. the right to privacy.

The page finished loading.

Jayden stared at it.

"Merii."  
"Not now, Jayden."  
Luke glanced at the computer screen, and stopped mid-sentence.

"Lady Merii…"  
Finally, Merii looked at the screen. Her face turned a deep red.

"Um, you see, uh, well…"

Jayden closed the window, and picked Merii up. Luke put the laptop back in its case, and then quickly followed them back to their tent.

"If you wanted more of_ that_, all you had to do was ask."

End Note: I'm sure you can imagine what type of site that was. Also, they all happen to enjoy LiveJournal, obviously.


	15. Drinks

Dedication: This chapter is for Mazeyelle…for doing all those cool drawings of my characters. Thanks!

Disclaimer: I don't own the caramelladansen dance. If I did…well…I would be a heroine to cosplayers and internet cartoonists everywhere.

Chapter Fifteen: Drinks

It was November 24-Luke's birthday. They were on a remote route, the road lined with fallen leaves from the trees. So naturally, the trio had a small party to celebrate. Merii had taken out the small folding table and put a blue and white checkered table cloth over it. On the table she put a small birthday cake, various berries on the side for the boys to put on their slices. Merii, on the other hand, had a sandwich, as the cake she had made was for Pokemon. And no, she didn't really enjoy cake, though she did have a baby picture of her asleep with cake all over her face. Jayden never stopped teasing her about it.

Jayden and Luke were sitting on either side of the teen, and they had just finished the cake-or sandwich, in Merii's case-and were now getting out drinks. Merii had a large bottle filled with apple juice that she had brought at a local store, while Jayden was drinking down a jug of water. Luke had finished his bottle of berry juice a while ago, and was busily looking over a book on yoga that Merii had given him as a present. Jayden's gift was a mat that he had made from plants and reeds that was surprisingly comfortable to sit on-one that Luke planned to use for his daily meditation.

Jayden smiled and pulled out a long glass bottle from the picnic basket, one that he had hidden under the food. It had a large violet ribbon tied around it. Merii blinked. Where did Jayden get that? The said Swampert tapped Luke on the shoulder, and held out the bottle to him, a plastic wine glass in his other fin.

"Want to try some of this?"

The Lucario stared at him, and then took the bottle and glass from his friend, looking at the label with scrutinizing eyes.

"'Celadon City Wine'? Is it good?"  
Jayden nodded.  
"Yep! Made from fresh bitter berries! Just how you like it, right?"  
The Lucario smiled and nodded.

"Thank you Jayden. I'll try some."

Of course Luke didn't seem to notice how Merii kept looking back and forth between the wine bottle and himself, anxiety darting across her pretty features. She stared as the Lucario poured himself an average amount and took a few sips. For a while, all seemed to be fine. The trio continued to talk as if nothing had changed.

Merii bit her lip, worry seeping through her.

"Luke's…never had alcohol before. I don't know how he'll take it."  
Jayden just grinned at the young woman he loved.

"Exactly. But this wine isn't as strong as some of the other stuff I saw in the store I went to. So it might take a while for something to happen."

Jayden's trainer gaped at him before pulling him close.

"Are you TRYING to get Luke drunk," she asked in a hushed whisper.

The smile that came from this question answered all of Merii's questions.

"Oh dear God help us."

The duo turned to their more serious companion, who had poured himself another glass. They stared in barely concealed horror and excitement, from Merii and Jayden respectively. Luke continued to drink, not really understanding why his best friend and his girlfriend were looking at him so intently, as if they were waiting for something to happen. Now normally, he would ask them why they kept staring at him. But for some reason he felt…light-headed.

Downing his third glass, Luke poured himself another. His world began to get blurry and then…

"Hahahahahahaaaaaa…"  
Jayden grinned and rubbed his fins together.  
"Here we go…"  
Merii slapped her forehead.

"Oh no…"

The Lucario was laughing like a maniac, drinking sloppily from his fifth glass. Gently, Merii took away the bottle and tucked it back into the large picnic basket. Meanwhile, Jayden was holding a video camera, taping his best friend.

"Jayden put that away!"  
The Swampert turned to his girlfriend, not moving the camera from Luke.

"Heck no, this is gold!"

Then they gaped in astonishment as Luke stood up and leapt onto the picnic table….doing….the caramelladansen dance?  
"Where did he learn that?"  
"Does it really matter? This is hilarious!"

As if there were music playing, Luke went from the caramelladansen to the Macarena to the Y-M-C-A! dance, all in a row. Jayden was laughing hysterically while filming his drunken friend, while Merii was torn between making her Swampert turn the camera off and stopping Luke from going any further. However, any of these thoughts ceased when Luke stopped dancing, got off the table, and approached her with a familiar look in his eyes.

'Oh dear GOD, no…'

"Hey Merii….," at this, the said girl inwardly gasped. Even though he was with her, Luke always called her 'Lady' Merii. She didn't know he was this far gone. Seemingly unable to hear his best friend's laughter, Luke continued, "You know…I feel like having some fun…"

A blush went across Merii's face as the Lucario leaned closer. He moved to whisper in her ear. Her blush began to deepen. Jayden, who was still watching all the proceedings, frowned. He couldn't even hear what Luke was saying! And whatever it was, it was definitely having an effect on their girlfriend, judging from her bright red face.

'Whoa….Luke's never talked like this to me…even during our times together! But…it's kind of hot…'

Merii was bright red once Luke stopped whispering…things to her and leaned back, a smug grin on his face.  
"So…how 'bout it? Wanna try some of that?"  
Speechless from her shock and the arousal that swept through her at the sounds from her Lucario, Merii just gaped at him. Jayden stared for a long moment.  
"I think you broke her, dude."

Luke then burst out into hysterical laughter again. He kept laughing for over 5 minutes, then fell over, passed out.

"Jayden."  
The Swampert turned back to his mate.  
"Yeah, Merii?"  
"Before Luke wakes up…I'm burning that tape."  
"But-"  
"It would humiliate him. You know that."  
Jayden sighed.  
"I know…," he grinned wistfully, "at least this'll be in my memories."  
"But after he wakes up…"  
"Yeah?"  
Merii smiled, no longer blushing.

"We're going to try some of his suggestions."


	16. Observations

Dedication: No dedication this time…wow…that's new.

Notice: Luke, Merii and Jayden now have their own blogs on LiveJournal! Luke's username is knightofaura, Merii's is dreaminglights, and Jayden's username is iamnotamudpuppy! Check them out!

Chapter Sixteen: Observations

Suicune sat quietly in the back of Merii's mind. She was simply relaxing after a long day of training. Merii was lying on her back with Jayden and Luke, looking up at the stars above them. The Swampert and the Lucario had their arms around Merii, and she was holding on to both of them.

The Legendary Pokemon mused on the relationship between the three lovers. It certainly was an interesting time, what with her vessel being in love with two of her Pokemon and vice versa. Frankly, Suicune didn't have much else to do since most of the time she was in Merii's body.

To Suicune, Jayden was the one that was the jokester of the trio. He always liked to make anyone laugh. Also the Swampert was a whiz at technology, which somehow confused Suicune. After all, how could he even type with his fins? Besides which, he was something of a gaming geek, that loved to play with anyone willing or not. That was probably why, the North Wind thought, why Merii's Machamp Kaos was obsessed with his PSP. Jayden hung out with him a lot when Merii was traveling for a while in Sinnoh and most likely influenced Kaos.

However, Jayden, like the waters of his element, was more than he seemed. He loved battling, and proved it by having a Master Rank in Tough Contests. The Swampert even had a painting of himself hanging in Lilycove City. Even though he was strong and a worthy opponent for most Pokemon, Suicune could tell that Jayden wasn't always confident in himself. She could tell that he often questioned his own decisions, especially the ones concerning Merii. But he never let that stop him from going on. And Suicune did admire that about him. It wasn't seen as often in either human or Pokemon in the last few hundred years.

Luke, on the other paw, was vastly different from Jayden. The Lucario was serious, quiet, and preferred meditating to socializing. He was also a bit of a worrier. There was all that, and he was not very good at all with modern technology. He only created a blog after Merii persuaded him to, and then she also had to help him set it up. He and Jayden, being typical males, often liked to spar if not playfully bicker with each other. As for hobbies, Suicune knew that the Lucario loved reading. In fact, the majority of the time she came out, Luke was either meditating or reading. And once Merii began to take up Tai Chi, Luke soon joined her as it helped him relax.

The Lucario was fast, so fast that he could even be considered a prodigy among other Lucario. However, he did not let that go to his head. Luke remained very humble. He was training constantly, always wanting to make up for his low Defense. Suicune noticed that the Lucario would train, and often could be stopped only when Merii would ask him to. Yes, he was a very dedicated Pokemon. His amount of dedication was also not seen frequently.

Then Suicune's mind turned to her vessel, Merii. She was definitely a unique one, in the very least. Though her past was very difficult, she never let that destroy her love for all things living. Even more surprising, Suicune noted, was that her circumstances didn't cause Merii to abandon her faith. The girl was hot-tempered, yet was also very sensitive to criticism. She learned that not everyone who called themselves a friend was not always a real friend, yet never lost her trust in others.

As for her relationship with her Pokemon, Suicune was able to see a case of real love between the three. Merii, she knew, made Jayden strong. She caused him to have something to fight for, and Suicune knew that Merii was the Swampert's main motivation. And even though Luke was so fast that most could hardly get close to him, Merii managed to work her way into his heart. So they obviously were precious people in Merii's own heart. Luke was her steady, quiet knight that was always going to be there to protect her. And Jayden was her laughing, relaxed comrade who would always be there to comfort her. Merii was their dreaming, smiling princess that gave them hope for the future, no matter what happened. As far as Suicune knew, Merii hadn't failed on that yet.


	17. Dreams

Note aka My Excuse for Not Updating in Forever: College. Enough said.

Dedication: To Honest Beauty because she is awesome. : )

Chapter Seventeen: Dreams

They all dreamed.

Merii's dreams were of a world where she was accepted for who she was; a world where her mother was alive. She dreamt of a world where no one minded if she loved two Pokémon; a world where the sky stayed a clear blue all the time. Where no one was hurt or ignored.

Jayden dreamed of people that knew when to laugh and knew when to just _enjoy _life. He dreamed of people that didn't care what you looked like or whether your appearance betrayed who you really were inside. He dreamed of peace and laughter.

Luke tended to dream of a place where no one was cruel to other; where no one was abandoned just because they didn't meet the other's standards. He dreamt of a place where he could be who he was and not be hated because of it.

They all dreamed of happiness and acceptance.

But most of all they dreamt of their times together.

End Note: GAH! It's too short! XO Gomen nasai! I wrote this in 10 minutes at 12:24 AM! GAH! –falls over and dies-


	18. Movies

A/N: This is the Halloween chapter! :D  
Dedication: To Wolf…you know why. –hugs-

Chapter Eighteen: Movies

On a certain autumn evening, Merii gathered Jayden and Luke into her living room to celebrate the scariest of evenings in style: by watching horror movies nonstop until the next morning. Although he personally didn't care much for the genre, Luke decided to buck up for his mate. After all, the smile that he got in return for agreeing to come and watch with her was worth it in his view.

Jayden, however, was the one who had first come up with the idea. He had offhandedly mentioned it during dinner, and Merii, being Merii, enthusiastically agreed since she had felt that she was too old for trick-or-treating. Of course, Jayden had then protested, saying that no one was too old for trick-or-treating and then he and Merii got into this 3-hour-long discussion on the topic. Luke, by this point, had left 2 hours and 45 minutes beforehand to meditate and perhaps read a good book.

The full moon was rising in the sky when Merii and her two boys got in front of her television in the den to start their marathon. To start out light, Merii put in the Nightmare Before Christmas. Naturally, Jayden and Luke talked during it, mostly on whether it was a Christmas movie or a Halloween movie. Personally, Merii thought it was a little bit of both. The only other interesting thing that occurred during that movie happened when Jayden began laughing his head off when Oogie Boogie burst open and bugs began to crawl out.  
"He needs to go on a diet! And learn to tell when his food is dead before he eats it! Hahaha!"  
Luke just shook his head and Merii resisted the urge to whack her Swampert boyfriend on the back of his head for ruining the dramatic moment.

After that movie ended, it was Jayden's turn to pick from the choices, and so he chose Friday the 13th, featuring everyone's favorite burned serial killer come back from the dead. The movie was pretty scary, except for the part when one of the characters died in their sleep due to a map constantly being folded out over and over again, smothering the unfortunate person.  
"……when was this movie made again?"  
"I dunno, sometime in the 80's or something."  
"Ah….now…..that wouldn't have happened."  
"True…"

After Freddie wrought his vengeance on the town that once hated him, Luke got to choose the next film to watch. Choosing the Sixth Sense, he put the DVD in and they watched. Much less scared of the movie since when she last saw it as a 9-year-old girl, Merii now watched the movie in a whole new light. As in, she felt sorry for pretty much every character in the film. She ended up feeling the worst for the ghosts of the hung slaves in the main character's school, and for the girl that was poisoned. Sure, she jumped a few times from the pure shock, and felt like crying a bit when the suicidal ghost popped up on the screen, but mostly it was ok.

When the credits for M. Night Shymalan's picture rolled across the screen, Merii sorted through the shrinking pile they had of their choices and picked The Exorcist. And no, none of them got scared. Merii felt a bit confused, especially when the priest kept shaking the cross in the possessed girl's face. Was that supposed to do something? She wondered why the makers of the film didn't make the cross glow or something. Then at least she could kind of tell something was supposed to happen. Luke felt pretty disgusted, watching the girl pee on the living room carpet. And Jayden? Jayden was laughing his ass off, again. Why? Because of the infamous scene where the possessed main character vomited Campbell's Pea Soup all over the camera. The movie didn't end quick enough.

Jayden's turn came up again and he looked at the two films left in the inventory. Thinking for a moment, he took Pet Semetary out of the pile and slid the DVD in. This movie actually scared Merii a bit. Luke was pretty much unfazed until the very end, where he stared at the screen in shock. Jayden just laughed more, mostly at the scenes of the undead toddler chasing his father about the house with dangerous household items. This was a very trying time for Luke, as he kept wanting to stuff a pillow in his best friend's mouth to shut him up.

Then, as the genius Stephen King's movie ended, Luke headed over to the tiny pile that consisted of a single DVD. It was still unopened, given to Merii as a gift just a few days earlier by their friend Ryan.  
"…………..the Shining?"  
Shrugging, the Lucario slid the DVD in, and then sat down.  
This time Jayden didn't laugh.  
They all sat there, glued to the screen. For about an hour, they sat there and then the movie abruptly paused. Luke and Jayden looked over that their owner. Merii was shaking.  
"H-h-hold me."  
Immediately, the two wrapped their arms around their Trainer and mate, and she pressed the play button again. They finished the rest of the movie in silence, and then watched the credits roll across the screen. Slowly, Merii stood and turned on all the lights. Then she went back to her mates and sat down next to them, turning the TV on to late night cartoons.  
"Who wants t-t-to s-sleep here t-t-tonight?"  
They both raised their hands.

The next morning, Suicune came out of Merii and looked at the damage of the living room. There were pillows everywhere, and there seemed to be a barrier made of chairs, more pillows, and other household objects in front of the bathroom door. She chuckled then turned to her vessel and her eyes softened. The three were in each other's arms, their arms wrapped around their beloveds. Silently, the North Wind walked over and took the blanket that was draped over the couch and put it over the trio.  
"Sleep tight…and happy Halloween."

End Notes: The only movie mentioned in here that I haven't seen is The Shining….all I know is that it's SCARY according to my sister….by the way, the way they decided to pick who chose what movie in what order is based on their birthdays…..Merii's is in September, Jayden's is in October, and Luke's birthday is in November. :3

And no, I didn't feel like doing a real scary horror-type thing because I didn't know what type of situation to put them through. I thought this was good enough.


	19. Childhoods

A/N: I. Hate. Travelling. At least I hated it the other day when Sheila and I were going back to school from Thanksgiving vacation. It all started when we missed our flight since the line to get our bags checked in was so long and….no. You know what? I'll blog about it on my livejournal. I'm Marikunin on there. Most of my entries I let anyone see…go check it out later.

Chapter Nineteen: Childhoods

When Jayden was just a little Mudkip, he lived in some famous Pokémon researcher's lab. After all these years, the Swampert had long forgotten the researcher's name, other than that it was apparently also the name of a tree.

He had other, richer memories though. Most of them were of hacking into the human's computer and playing Minesweeper. Well, that and putting funny wallpaper images on his background, which brought much hilarity the next time the professor would log in.

His companions at the time, a hippie Treecko and a reclusive Torchic would just ignore Jayden's mad laughter at these moments and go back to their own activities.

Yes, he was a technological genius even then. Although he hadn't refined his skills until long after he'd begun training under Merii, the Swampert was able to hack into just about anything.

But sometimes he would hack into Luke's computer, just for kicks.

Luke didn't remember very much about his early life before he was caught. But when he was reunited with his father, he found that he had loved to climb on other Pokémon. That really surprised Luke when he heard. _Him_, climbing other Pokémon like they were just his playground? It just didn't seem like him at all.

Another thing that his father told him was that he had a gift for using Aura very early in life, even earlier than other Lucario and Riolu. However, though he was able to harness it earlier, he had a hell of a time learning to control it. His dad even told him that he got hurt a few times while he was learning to use it.

However, this all happened when Luke was very young. He was not even trained by humans at the time. Besides, by the time he was caught, Luke clearly recalled that he was just as proficient at using Aura as other Riolu his age.

But the fact that he didn't even enjoy meditating when he was young? That just felt surreal. Then again, he didn't start to meditate until after he met Jayden.

That explained a lot of things.

Merii had a long, decent childhood with her mother. She didn't really lose her innocence until she was 12, when her mom died. But besides that, she was a normal little girl. Well, except that whenever she saw a Pokémon, she would want to go and introduce herself to it, no matter what she was doing at the time. More often than not, this caused her mother or her friends, depending on who was with her at the time, to get at least a little annoyed at her.

Another thing about Merii as a child was that she had a swear-vocabulary of a fully grown adult by the time she was five. Though she was want to use the said words. She didn't want to get punished by her mother. Then again, she often heard the foul words from said mother-though it was often when her mom didn't know she was there.

Merii's mother didn't find out about the cursing until when a man decided to mug her and Merii on the street, and Merii's words made the man walk away in a stupor. Then she watched her words, even when she thought she was alone.

Merii had her mouth washed out with soap first, though.


	20. Insomniacs

A/N: …man, I'm pathetic. I'm pulling an all-nighter to basically do my entire final project for computer class-creating a 3-page website-and here I am taking a break to write another chapter of my oneshot series. …I'm so weird…*sighs* Anyway, read and review as usual…oh yeah…this is chapter 20...30 more chapters to go until I'm finished. XD …and yes, Jayden's method is actually keeping me awake right now. XO *knows that she is going to get a lot of weird comments for this*

Chapter Twenty: Insomniacs

Merii, Jayden and Luke all had their own preferred methods for staying awake. Though they all varied, each claimed that it worked for them.

Merii would take her headphones and put them on, then turn on the noise-cancelling setting. Then she would press play on her mp3 player and let the music keep her awake. However, when one time the music actually made her more tired than before, she decided not to put soft classical on her "Time to Wake Up" playlist.

However, a few times even her music could not keep her awake, and she had to resort to pacing around the area she was occupying in order to not fall asleep on the spot. The few times where she stayed up to read a book that was particularly engrossing, though, would just require a flashlight and getting under her covers or sleeping bag, depending if she was travelling at the time. You just can't beat the classics.

Jayden had a particularly unusual method for staying awake-he would take raw onion slices and several slices of cheese and mix them together in a plastic baggie, and then eat that mixture as he was doing whatever he was doing-which was usually hacking or working on his computer in some way.

Sure, Merii and Luke looked at him strangely sometimes whenever they woke up in the middle of the night to heed nature's call, but he didn't really care. Besides, he always used water to wash it down. Surprisingly enough, the said liquid blended the taste together and made it somewhat pleasant, if not bearable.

Luke rarely stayed up all or most of the night. Thus, he had a lower tolerance for doing it than Jayden and Merii did. Although there were a few times when he did force himself to stay awake-besides the times when Merii and Jayden's birthdays were coming up and he was making them gifts-and he did have a method to keeping himself awake.

The Lucario would, upon feeling that his mind was feeling heavy and wanted to shut down for the night, would get up and go outside, or to a secluded area where he wouldn't wake his travelling companions. Then he would train. Naturally. It got his blood flowing in a way that nothing else did-not even sex; that got his blood flowing in a totally different manner-and sharpened his mind and body at the same time. Of course, those were just added bonuses. Once he felt that he was sufficiently alert, he would go back to his activity at the time. Of course, one time Jayden tried this, but gave up after five minutes and went to bed.

As for Suicune? She didn't have to worry about staying up all night as she was in Merii's mind most of the time. She just slept whenever the hell she wanted.

She laughed at the envy that the three felt. But only when they weren't listening.

End Note: …*falls over and passes out* It's 4:39 AM where I am and I know that if I go to bed now I will most likely sleep through both of my morning classes…which wouldn't be good at all. But my mind is screaming at me to get some rest…*sighs and gets out the raw onions and cheese* Time to take a page out of Jayden's book…


	21. Skies

A/N: ….damn, it's been freaking FOREVER. I'm soooo sorry guys! A lot of stuff happened in my life and my muse has only come back recently in terms of writing fanfiction. Anyway, I know that I have to update Plushies of Legend and Dance of the Northern Lights, and I will don't worry. But for now I'm inspired by various Transformers drabbles and want to write a bit for my OT3. Unlike other chapters this one isn't really funny as it is more…spiritual and existential kind of. But still cute and romantic I hope…anyway enjoy, as it's pretty much my first time writing something from this kind of angle. (Also a chapter with little to no dialogue, which I have only done once before) Trying to experiment with description here…

Chapter Twenty-One: Skies

Merii, Jayden and Luke were resting in Eterna Forest-well, on the very outskirts of it. They were on a hill, finally resting after a very long walk through the wood. They had started at sunrise, the pale rosy color of the sky reflecting off of a few puffy white clouds as they had begun. This was Luke's favorite time of day, when most of the world was still sleeping and the sounds of only the wind through the trees and the smell of dew on the grass filled his senses. It was when he could meditate without any disturbances and train without fear of waking his two companions. But eventually, the sky would morph into a light blue and his day would "officially" start.

That particular day was when the three would take the day-long hike to Eterna City on the other side of the large forest they had just entered the previous evening. Checking the weather, Merii had sighed and told Luke and Jayden to not push themselves; that the day was going to be very warm and she didn't want them to get dehydrated. Luke had nodded, but Jayden had laughed a bit and said that being a Water Pokémon meant that getting dehydrated for him was next to impossible. Merii had just shrugged and told him to keep her and Luke hydrated then.

The day was indeed very hot and humid, and though there were clouds in the sky, by noon the three seemed to be taking twice as many breaks as they had during the early morning hours. Stopping only for a few minutes to have their lunches, the three kept walking due to Merii's wish to get to Eterna City before nightfall. By the time dinner rolled around, the Lucario, Swampert, and human were very tired, even though said human had a Legendary resting within her and thus gave her a bit more endurance than usual.

By the time they had their dinner, the three knew there was a slim chance they would make it to Eterna City before night fell. They ate quickly, and resumed their trek, ignoring any cramps starting to emerge from their tired bodies. Eventually they noticed that the ground beneath them was starting to go on an incline. Knowing that this was the last hill before the steady decline to the small city that was destination, Merii and her mates pushed themselves to keep going. They all knew that night was coming quickly, and wanted to get to the Pokémon Center in the town before it closed. Approaching the top, they could faintly make out the lights of the city in the distance, shining through the thin gaps between the trees. Trying not to collapse onto the ground in exhaustion, Merii panted heavily, her breaths coming out in short gasps.

"I…hate…hills..."

Jayden and Luke had simply nodded in agreement at this and sat down next to their girlfriend to rest for a moment as well. The sky was darkening as the clouds turned red from the sunlight sinking below the horizon. To Merii's eyes, it seemed as if the sun was dying, being dragged down to its daily slaughter; the streams of light like blood smearing across the sky. It had even infected the white clouds floating above them, turning them a rosy color and piercing them with the rays that emitted from the solar orb. As if they were killing the clouds as well. Shuddering a bit at the thought, she wondered where it had come from and then excused it to her physical exhaustion messing with her mind.

For awhile they sat there, watching the sunset. Eventually, the sun went down and a beautiful twilight was staring the trio in the face. The outline of the forest around them was highlighted against the rapidly darkening sky by the light of the blazing sun, right on the cusp of going over the horizon. The light shone on the landscape before them, shadows being highlighted more than at any other time in the day.

Seeing it had each individual reflect on the sight. Luke saw it as the brief bonding of night and day; where for just a few minutes each day there was a balance between light and darkness revealing the same forces that were within everything. But this was just for a little while, and then the fragile balance would tip towards the darkness and night would fall. He knew that this was the time of day when the world beyond and this world were connected. Luke could sense it, the murmurs of those lost to the ages just on the fringes of his senses due to the aura that they had once had in abundance but now only in mere fragments.

Jayden saw the twilight as more of an abnormal thing. It was a time when everything and anything was awake and moving about and there was no one sleeping. When everything was showing that they were _alive_. He loved that there was movement all around him, but in another sense it made him feel unsettled. Nothing was resting even for a moment, and it reminded him too much of La'Rousse City with its technological advances and bright neon lights at night. Sure, the movement suited human civilization, but there was something about nature that was supposed to be untouched by this lack of sleep.

Merii couldn't help but see it and be reminded of her God's death before He was resurrected. The moment before night fell onto the earth, when the sun made its last stand before being engulfed completely by the dark struck a chord within that made a rush of emotion wash over her. She saw the darkness as being on the brink of taking over, and for a while it would seem as if the night was all there was and all there was going to be. But she knew that eventually the sky would lighten and turn rose again and then the sun would rise to show its glory once again. This thought always comforted her, as she knew that she wouldn't be able to live in the night forever.

All too soon, the moment passed and the sun was dragged down into the void of night. Sighing a bit, the three began to set up camp on the hill, deciding that they could just continue in the morning. After the tent and fire was set up and started, respectively, the trio sat underneath the rapidly darkening sky above them and watched the sparks from the flames rise up into the sky. Thinking briefly of souls going to heaven, Merii curled up against the two males she loved and smiled when both wrapped their arms around her shoulders.

As the stars emerged from the darkness, the three began to slowly drift off into sleep. Luke was first, since he always woke 2 to 3 hours earlier than Merii or Jayden and thus went to bed before the other two. Merii was second, contentedly going off into dreamland with a smile on her lips. Jayden was last. He woke up last, usually, and went to bed last. To be frank, he loved the night. Due to the lights from the city only a few miles away, he knew that the stars would not be as bright nor as numerous if they were resting in a remote area. However, they were still beautiful. The Swampert looked up and started to identify constellations in the atmosphere above him.

It took him about an hour to start to doze off, but when he felt the stirrings of sleep pulling at him, he shot a small Water Gun attack at the fire, putting it out. Gently, he took his best friend and his mate into the tent and sat outside, leaning against the structure. He'd go inside and join them eventually. But for now he was fine with watching the stars twinkle above him. Yeah, he was pretty damn content right now.

Life was good.

End Note: Just so you guys know, even though Merii is Suicune's vessel, the said Legendary can't give Merii too much energy to keep walking, or else she would be negatively affected due to the sudden rush. So Suicune had to dole it out in small bits, and, even though this did help, walking all day in a forest with only a few breaks will give ANYONE cramps and make anyone tired. Including Pokémon, in my mind.

As for Merii's slightly morbid take on the sunset, it is partly from physical and mental exhaustion, as well as from a very, very small influence due to Suicune's being inside her. Not on purpose of course, but you know, there is a primal side to all Pokémon I think, and that has had to influence Merii at least a little bit. As for Luke, I think that if a Lucario trains hard enough, they would be able to sense spirits, at least a tiny bit. After all, in the Pokémon world all living things have Aura. Why should that change after death? It wouldn't be as strong, but I think there would still be something there.

So anyway, please review! (points to the green button below)


	22. Stars

A/N: Once again, I wait a long time before updating this series of oneshots. I'M SORRY. XD Anyway, I'm writing to get my creative juices flowing again! :D Please enjoy the (short) chapter!

Chapter Twenty Two: Stars

Sometimes at night, Merii, Jayden and Luke would lie on their backs in the forest, desert, or wherever they were traveling to watch the stars. It was just one of the many things they did to bond. As well as to have fun of course.

Jayden often liked to trace imaginary patterns connecting the stars, like some giant game of Connect-the-Dots. Naturally, Merii and Luke would join him during these times, though when one of them would start imagining certain types of shapes, the talking would stop. Afterwards, the trio would usually be too tired to keep watching, and end up falling asleep underneath the canopy of twinkling lights in the sky.

Luke usually ended up thinking about how small they all were in the grand scheme of things, and whether or not what they were doing or how they were living really made a difference. But then he would look at his mate and his best friend and nod to himself, knowing that they were making a difference, even though it was small.

Merii would look up at the stars, and imagine what each of those stars were like. She knew that certain colors in stars were either not possible, like green and purple, or didn't come about for a very long time, like blue or white, but it didn't stop her from "picking out" three stars to "belong" to the three of them.

Jayden's star would be a aquamarine blue-a color that Merii knew was not possible-and it would blaze brightly, it's light shining through the darkest reaches of space. And it would bring life, because that's how Jayden was. He was just _alive_. There was really no other word to describe his personality.

Luke's star would, naturally, be a navy blue-Luke's favorite color-and would pulse like a heartbeat. Merii knew that she was now in the realm of pure imagination as stars didn't _pulse_, but she couldn't help but choose that to describe Luke's star. He was very physical in everything he did. Even when meditating. Even when breathing.

As for her own star, it took Merii a lot longer to think of what her star would be like. But in the end, she decided that it would be a simple light blue. Like the sky when it was clear and beautiful. She knew it would draw Luke's star and Jayden's star close to her own. That was how her mates were when they were around her.

And the stars would always be in a cluster together, never departing. And, Merii liked to imagine, they would one day after their "deaths", mold together and create a beautiful new star. One that would last for an eternity onwards.

When she chose to tell her mates this, Jayden and Luke looked at her for a long time. And then they looked back at the stars, and began to argue where their 3 stars were in the sky, while Merii began to laugh. That is, before she joined them.

End Note: …*sighs* That wasn't a good chapter…I feel like I describe Merii's side of things too much, and that I don't go as much into Jayden and Luke's personalities. Whatever. I hope you enjoyed the chapter.


End file.
